(HealthNewsDigest.com) - The Million Hearts initiative announces the launch of a new Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Resource Center, developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Eating-Well magazine. The resource center features lower-sodium, heart-healthy recipes and family-friendly meal plans, with an emphasis on managing sodium intake, a major contributor to high blood pressure and heart disease.

By helping individuals and families access content and recipes to promote consumption of healthier foods, this consumer-friendly addition to existing Million Hearts tools supports the initiative's goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes.

"Because sodium is a major contributor to high blood pressure, it is important to help people understand how they can manage sodium intake at home," said Janet S. Wright, MD, FACC, Executive Director of Million Hearts. "This online resource offers practical, accessible eating and lifestyle-based solutions for people looking for ways to reduce sodium in their diet and create heart-healthy, tasty meals for themselves and their families.

All the recipes featured in the resource center include nutritional facts and use everyday ingredients found at local supermarkets and have been tested by Eating Well's test kitchen. Search and filter options make it easier to quickly find the right meal based on prep time, cuisine, course, and number of servings. The meal plans are flexible, easy to use, convenient, and can be customized to an individual's dietary needs.

"This resource helps people see that it's not about giving up the food you love, but choosing lower sodium options that taste great," said Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the CDC. "Small changes can make a big difference. We can prevent 11 million cases of high blood pressure each year if everyone reduced their daily sodium intake to 2,300 mg."

To learn more about the Million HeartsHealthy Eating and Lifestyle Resource Center, visit http://recipes.millionhearts.hhs.gov/. Million Hearts is a joint initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. For more information about the initiative and to access resources, visithttp://millionhearts.hhs.gov.

About Million HeartsMillion Hearts is a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. Million Hearts brings together communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, and private-sector partners from across the country to fight heart disease and stroke.

CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money through prevention. Whether these threats are global or domestic, chronic or acute, curable or preventable, natural disaster or deliberate attack, CDC is the nation's health protection agency.

###

For rates and information on advertising, call Mike McCurdy at 877-634-9180. Or email at [email protected] We have over 7,000 journalists as subscribers.